represasvsrepresivasWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: represas is a verb, represivas is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“represas” is a verb and “represivas” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#35,229
“represas” frequency rank
#32,378
“represivas” frequency rank
67607
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature represas represivas
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de represar. Forma del femenino plural de represivo.

Where the eye mixes represas and represivas

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. represas runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against represivas's 10 (CVCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
represas
10 ch
represivas

Visual trap between represas and represivas

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: represas is [reˈpɾesas] while represivas is [repɾeˈsiβ̞as]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67607, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

represas is recorded at frequency rank #35,229, classified as averb, pronounced [reˈpɾesas]. represivas is at rank #32,378, tagged as anadj, pronounced [repɾeˈsiβ̞as].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 67607, this pair ranks #36,686 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of represas vs represivas

Shared letters: aeprs. Private to "represas": -. Private to "represivas": iv.

"represas" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "represivas" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • represas ← erpresas · repersas · reppresas · repreass · represass · repressas · reprresas · reprseas
  • represivas ← erpresivas · repersivas · reppresivas · reprecivas · repreisvas · represiavs · represibas · represivass

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "represas" for "represivas" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "represas" is a verb and "represivas" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "represas" or "represivas" show up more?
"represivas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,378 in our Spanish list, against #35,229 for "represas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "represas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "represivas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #36,686 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "represas" and "represivas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "represivas vs represivos". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #36,686 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list